Learn. Perform. Achieve! November 2023: Designated Trainer Program

PERFORM, PERFORM 2023 Choice Hotels

Every month we highlight opportunities for leaders and managers to improve the performance of their teams. Plus, we are pleased to announce Operator Certifications (HOST/Extended Stay Essentials) completions and acknowledge the achievement of those who are now operator certified.

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Choice University’s Designated Trainer Program: Empowering Excellence

By Sean Tibbetts, Hallie Hanna, Eric Rosenstiel, Collin Cribley, and André Gratton – Choice University

In the rapidly evolving world of hospitality, Choice Hotels International stands as a beacon of continuous learning and employee development. Central to this mission is the “Designated Trainer” program, a vital part of Choice University. This program equips participants with the essential skills to deliver exceptional training to everyone in their organization.

The Designated Trainer program is ideally suited for individuals with a natural inclination for training and coaching, whether it’s the General Manager or another team member with the skills and enthusiasm to mentor. Even if the GM delegates the Designated Trainer role to another team member, they remain responsible for ensuring that training is conducted correctly and on schedule. This collaborative approach ensures that the program aligns with the hotel’s goals and standards.

The Designated Trainer program focuses on training participants to instruct various roles and departments within a hotel. It provides them with practical tips, tools, and resources from Choice University, ensuring they are well-prepared to elevate their teams’ performance. One of the program’s unique strengths is its blended learning approach, encompassing resources like videos, eLessons, and job aids. This adaptability enables participants to customize their learning experience, making it highly effective and accessible.

Beyond training roles, the program focuses on leadership development. Designated Trainers often serve as potential future leaders within the hotel, providing a pathway for team members with leadership potential to assume roles of greater responsibility.

Designated Trainers gain an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into how Choice University crafts its award-winning training programs. This insight enhances their training abilities and instills confidence and pride in shaping a successful team. Choice University has produced a testimonial video that features insights and experiences from a company that uses the Designated Trainer Program. This video offers a glimpse into how the program has transformed not just their roles but their entire perspective on training and development.

Watch the testimonial video here.

The Designated Trainer program evolves in tandem with the hospitality industry, staying relevant and effective to address the current state of learning within a hotel. The core value of the program lies in fostering a learning culture within the hotel. This culture encourages a growth mindset, spurring innovation and enhancing guest experiences.

The Designated Trainer program within Choice University is not just about training; it’s a catalyst for growth and excellence in the hotel industry. By equipping employees with training skills, fostering a learning culture, and nurturing future leaders, it adds significant value to both the hotel and its team members. Whether you aspire to be a leader or a skilled trainer, the Designated Trainer program offers a pathway to excellence in the dynamic world of hospitality.

Teaching Others to Write

By Kristen Hull, Senior Instructional Designer, Choice University

Crafting an impactful written message that clearly conveys your point isn’t easy. Heck, I’ve already spent 10 minutes staring at my screen trying to come up with the right opening sentence to this blog. But you know what can be even harder than writing? Coaching someone else to improve their writing skills.

When it comes to training your staff, the topics that first come to mind are probably excellent customer service skills, techniques for efficiently cleaning a room, or how to use the PMS software. However, we often forget about the importance of writing skills for business, and that’s a missed opportunity.

Responding to guest reviews and surveys provides an excellent chance for enhancing someone’s business writing. By coaching others to write responses, you are developing their skills, delegating responsibility, and adding variety and interest to your hotels’ responses.

So where do you begin when coaching others to improve their writing skills? You could start with examples. Using ChoiceHotels.com, search a variety of cities and hotels, looking through their reviews and responses. Take screenshots of well-written responses to share. Discuss what makes them effective, such as:

Clear and concise language
Use of proper grammar and sentence structure
Empathy expressed toward the guest
Personalization to the guest and their situation or issue
A friendly, conversational, and professional tone
A commitment to improvement
Avoidance of blaming the guest or telling them they are wrong
Thanking the guest for their time

Next, the learner can practice writing responses without publishing, while someone else writes the published response. They can start with positive reviews, since those responses tend to be easier to write. Once you are comfortable with their output, they can write the published responses and start practicing the more challenging reviews. Remind the learner of the characteristics of effective writing and look at more examples online for assistance. If you need to provide them with feedback for improvement, share examples of how you would respond. Again, when you are satisfied with their output, they can start publishing those responses as well. Periodically, check in on their work, ensuring it includes the characteristics of effective writing.

While coaching someone on their business writing skills may take some extra time, it can be an investment that pays off!

Want to learn more? Check out this lesson!

Engaging with Guests to Resolve Issues

Choice University is excited to announce that we have launched our LinkedIn page. Our goal is to work together to help hotel leaders and their team members achieve their goals through learning.

Please follow us on LinkedIn to stay connected to Choice University through our LinkedIn Page!

Operator Certifications (HOST/ExtendedStay Essentials) Earned in October!

Congratulations to the following individuals who earned their operator certification last month!

Abdur Emon SD009 Comfort Suites
Aesha Pankhania TX031 Quality
Amanda Warner ID003 Sleep Inn
Andrew Spicer PA108 Comfort Inn
Ani Reddy IL700 Mainstay Suites
Anil Khanna MI370 Comfort Inn
Apurva Patel TXM54 Quality
Ayman El Zibair TN655 Sleep Inn
Bailey Alley NC995 Mainstay Suites
Barbara Cautillo DE404 Comfort Inn
Bijal Patel TX371 Comfort Suites
Chuck Birbeck GA266 Quality Gold
Clover Clark LA227 Sleep Inn
Constance Hanna NC994 Mainstay Suites
Fenil Patel TXL15 Sleep Inn
Himaxi Patel MI281 Quality
James Meyer OR167 Comfort Inn
Jayda Jones VA085 Quality
Jennifer Lubinski WI108 Comfort Suites
Jennifer Peterson WI346 Comfort Suites Gold
Jeris Schesser IA240 Comfort Inn
Jessica Kunz OR100 Comfort Suites
Jimmy Dhillon NC191 Econo Lodge
Jin Xu NY911 Radisson Hotel
Joann Hildreth PA777 Suburban
Julia Torres UT166 Quality
Julian Gomez CN066 Quality
Jymi Sickels AK050 Comfort Inn
Kalyn Lolar KS239 Comfort Inn
Kamal Hossain IA074 Sleep Inn
Katy Carlson SD065 Quality
Kaushal Patel NM113 Comfort Inn
Kayla Rorabacher IA217 Sleep Inn
Kerry Lewis GAA95 WoodSpring
Loubna Semlali NJ718 Comfort Suites
Loveleen Multani NE134 Quality
Mary Bixler FLG83 WoodSpring
Melissa Dendy ID039 Quality
Mihir Patel OH605 Quality
Pankaj Singh LA122 Quality
PARMINDER SINGH ID022 Quality
Paula Cendrowski ND115 Suburban
Poonam Patel TXB02 Comfort Suites
Pranav Patel MS211 Comfort Suites
Ray Kajani WA254 Comfort Inn
Rosemarie Thornton FLB69 Quality
Sandi Carson MS245 Country Inn
Shariq Ahmed OH424 Quality
Stacy Siebring MN143 Sleep Inn
Stevi Scarbro OH204 Comfort Inn
Thomas Harris TX377 Comfort Suites
trendin Tillman GA148 Quality
Varsha Bhagat TXL96 Quality
Vickie Gregory KY023 Comfort Inn
Yuli Zhang CN967 Quality
Yvonne Durant GA286 Sleep Inn